


don't fear the fall

by meggiewrites



Category: Men's Football RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Crush at First Sight, Falling In Love, Fluff, Lisa and Thomas are BFFs, M/M, Yoga Instructor Manuel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-15
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-23 09:30:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14329512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meggiewrites/pseuds/meggiewrites
Summary: When Thomas' best friend drags him to yoga class with her because she doesn't want to go there alone, it takes him no time at all to fall head over heels for the super cute teacher, trying (and failing) not to embarrass himself in front of him.





	don't fear the fall

**Author's Note:**

> This was prompted on tumblr just a few hours ago, and I really had fun with it! Thank you very much, anonymous prompter ^^ 
> 
> Slightly too long for a drabble, so it gets its own little story. Unbeta'd and only quickly edited, so feel free to point out mistakes. Enjoy!

“But I don’t need to go to yoga! I’m fit enough!!” Thomas exclaimed, shooting Lisa an exasperated look.

She only lifted a single eyebrow. “You mean you don’t _want_ to go. C’mon, you promised!”

Thomas huffed. “Just because _you_ don’t want to go alone.”

It wasn’t like Lisa wouldn’t go on his own, he knew. She was one of the toughest people he knew, and beautiful on top of that – if she hadn’t already had a boyfriend when they’d first met, maybe they would have become something else than best friends. Though by now, she was more like the sister he never had.

“We were an uneven number last time,” she’d said a week ago, complaining about how everyone else was already paired up and how she was left alone after her usual partner moved to another city, “and it’s not like I mind doing the exercises with the teacher, he’s very sweet. It’s just that I’m not nearly as good as him so I can’t really keep up. Also he’s way too heavy for me.”

She’d slapped him when he’d made a remark about if Georg knew that she was doing gymnastics with another man, wiggling his eyebrows. Of course he hadn't meant it, but in the spur of the moment – or rather, when Lisa had tried to hit him with a pillow – Thomas had quickly agreed to come with her next time as an apology.

By now, he regretted that offer. 

The yoga pants he was wearing made him feel naked, and he knew they made his already skinny legs look even skinnier; and he wasn’t looking forward to all his limbs aching the next day either.

When he issued his complaints to her, his best friend only rolled his eyes at him with a wide grin, her eyes fixed on the road. “Don’t be an idiot, you look fine. Those pants make your bum look great, actually.”

To be honest, Thomas was more concerned about his bulge being so clearly visible. He really didn’t know why she’d forced him to wear them either, he was pretty sure it’d have been fine to turn up in sweatpants. Something was up, judging by how her smirk only grew wider when they got out of the car.

The room where the class was held immediately felt comfortable. The floor was made out of polished plywood and a few big overhead windows were drenching the space with light, a big mirror adorning one of the walls.

About a dozen women were seated on the floor on thin gym mats, quietly chattering among themselves. None of them payed the two of them any attention. There were two mats still empty right at the front of the class, both of them a bright red colour. Lisa led Thomas towards them.

They’d just sat down when someone called her name. “Lisa, hi!”

It was a guy’s voice, and Thomas froze as soon as he turned around.

The tall blond approaching them had the most beautiful smile Thomas had ever seen, giving him a very youthful air that was only highlighted by slightly messy but short hair, rounded cheeks lightly dusted with stubble and a pair of striking blue eyes.

“Heya Manu!” Lisa grinned, waving at him as he jogged up to them, another mat tucked underneath his arm.

He rolled out the mat just front of them before facing them again. He smiled directly at Thomas, and suddenly, Thomas was very glad he was already sitting because he was sure his knees would have gone weak.

“Is this the guy you told me about?”

Lisa nodded. “Yes, this is Thomas, my best friend.”

The blond’s smile grew wider but strangely also more timid as he held out his hand for Thomas to shake. His hands were big, the palms surprisingly soft. “Hello. I’m Manuel. Call me Manu, though.”

Thomas returned his smile with a nod. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Lisa grinning. He knew exactly what she was thinking – it wasn’t often that something managed to render him speechless. But he couldn’t even care, not when he was lost in the eyes of the prettiest man he’d ever seen. (He was built too, he noticed, with toned arms and broad shoulders and a sculpted torso leading to a surprisingly narrow waist, his legs looking firm and strong.)

He startled a bit when the blond cleared his throat awkwardly. Thomas wasn’t sure if he'd imagined his cheeks flushing as he tore his eyes away from Thomas’, standing up, clapping his hands. 

“Alright class! Thanks for coming, we’ll start with something easy today seeing as there is a new addition to our class. Everyone say hi to Thomas!”

Thomas blinked. He turned to Lisa, his mouth slightly gaping. 

“Why didn’t you mention that your teacher was this cute!” he hissed, “I’m gonna make a fool out of myself!”

Lisa only giggled.

He did, actually, make a fool out of himself. Never mind that he was flexible but not nearly flexible enough for some of the exercises – five minutes in he already got distracted while attempting to do the downward dog. The teacher’s – Manuel’s – backside looked especially scrumptious in his dark blue yoga pants. It was also, in that moment, only a few inches away from his face.

Thomas tried to ogle him as discreetly as possible; he didn’t want to seem like a creep. Though that only took him so far because when Manuel then arched his back just a little more, Thomas lost his balance and with a little yelp, he faceplanted right on the floor, prompting thinly-veiled giggles from the other students.

Next to him, Lisa didn’t budge, her eyes still closed, but Thomas could make out her sly grin anyway.

The rest of the lesson went in a similar fashion, and when it finally ended after thirty minutes Thomas collapsed on his mat with a groan, deciding that yoga really wasn’t for him. No matter how cute the teacher might be.

He’d closed his eyes, so he didn’t immediately notice someone crouching down in front of him.

“You okay?” Manuel’s voice was softer than it had been during the lesson, almost tentative.

Thomas opened one eye, squinting up at him. The sun was catching in his hair, making it look almost golden.

“Sure,” he said, letting out another groan as he propped himself up on his elbows. Manuel offered him a hand, pulling up to his feet. When they were both standing, he let it linger, their hands awkwardly clasped in between them.

By now, most of the girls had cleared out of the room. Thomas just barely managed to catch a last glimpse of Lisa as she walked out of the door, throwing a cheeky wink over her shoulder.

He turned back to Manuel, whose cheeks were once more tinted pink as he quickly let go of Thomas’ hand, shoving his own into the pockets of his pants instead.

Thomas coughed. “Um. I’m sorry if I ruined your class. I’m not really cut out for this."

Manuel chuckled, shuffling his toes. “You didn’t ruin anything. These girls have been coming here for months, some for years. Most of them weren’t an ounce better than you during their own first lesson.”

“Ah,” Thomas smiled. He was really starting to find Manuel’s blushing adorable. “I guess I better should have started with a beginner’s class then? Is there one I can sign up for?” He didn't really want to, but somehow, he knew that he had to find a reason to see Manuel again.

“My colleague Robert teaches the beginners, actually,” Manuel said, and disappointment started to bloom in Thomas' stomach, “but when Lisa asked I allowed her to bring you along, since I agree that she needs another partner than me. Actually,” he fiddled with the hem of his shirt, “I wouldn’t mind you coming back.”

Thomas’s heart skipped a beat. He could feel his smile growing wider. “Alright then! I guess if you don’t deem me a hopeless case after today, there must still be hope.”

“Great!” Manuel beamed, looking downright adorable, before apparently remembering to compose himself again, schooling his face into a more professional expression. “I guess I’ll see you next week?”

Thomas cleared his throat. “Actually, I wondered … would you like to get a coffee with me?”

And he really thought that he could get used to the look on Manuel’s face as he nodded shyly but enthusiastically, blushing even more.

 

(”I knew it!” Lisa yelled when he came home that evening with a big grin on his face and a new number saved in his phone.

Turns out she’d been planning to set them up all along. But considering how smitten Thomas already was with Manuel after only one date, he didn’t find it in himself to be cross with her.)

 

**Author's Note:**

>   * Those two are my happy place – I will definitely still write other pairings, but there's just nothing quite like your OTP, so I'm sorry if my writing is a bit one-sided atm, but it really helps me deal with stuff
>   * Title from OneRepublic's _I Lived_
>   * I write FICTION about real people. None of this is intended to harm them or their reputation in any way
> 

> 
> Please leave kudos and maybe a comment if you liked it! | [tumblr](http://manuelmueller.tumblr.com/)


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